Cracked Slide -> Back In Business
I'm a USPSA (B-class pushing A) shooter with 13,000+ rounds through my Platypus. She's been shooting a match with me every two weeks since mid 2024, plus practice, and lately semi-daily dryfire. She's been shoved in a holster through hundreds of reps, even tossed in the dirt for Brutality matches. Point is, we've been through a lot together. The only changes I've made to it have been a toolless guide rod and a lighter recoil spring (#11 Atlas). Handleitgrips.
In October 2025, I noticed a little smudge on the slide, to the left of the ejection port. I wiped it down and moved on.
In May 2026, while cleaning my gun in preparation for a major match (Golden Bullet Championship), I noticed the same smudge, but this time it looked much more like a crack. A large crack, one that ran all the way into the slide, along the edge of the breech face. For about 10 seconds, I considered pretending I hadn't seen anything and shooting the major anyway. I imagined what would happen if the gun decided to give up in the middle of a stage. I like my fingers, I need them all. 10 seconds later, I sent an email to Stealth Arms, describing what I was looking at.
Stealth Arms customer service asked for pictures of the gun. I also gave them a call in order to discuss what sending the gun in for repair might look like. With no more questions asked, they got me a shipping label, and I sent her off via Next Day Air UPS.
(I shot GBC with a borrowed Platypus which, while it wasn't mine, did the job. I did not perform spectacularly. I've been shooting my CZ SP-01 since then.)
Today, a month and some change later (June 2026), I received my rebuilt Platypus. They created a brand new slide and matching barrel for me, switching me to a bull barrel instead of the original bushing barrel, with the cerakote colors I requested. They swapped out the trigger for me, purely as a favor. They even took the liberty of installing a new mainspring housing to pin my grip safety properly, instead of the wacky job that I had done. All of this, pro gratis. I am floored by the level of customer service they provided.
Thoughts: My original Platypus slide was a trident-style slide with an SRO/RMR cut. This style/cut combination leaves very little material in the exact spot where my slide cracked. When this first happened, I was sent a picture from an acquaintance whose trident-style slide had cracked in nearly the exact same way. In my new slide (classic-style), it seems that there is more material in that spot. If you have a trident slide, I would inspect your gun in this area for any signs of cracking.
tl;dr: gun slide cracked, it might be a defect, Stealth Arms made it right and then some. Thank you so very much!